NWA TechFest Announces First 2017 Keynote Speaker

Mar 27, 2017

NWA TechFest welcomes General Tamhra Hutchins-Frye of the AR Air National Guard

NWA TechFest is a technology conference that brings together the tech community to learn from and interact with one another. For 2017, NWA TechFest proudly introduces the event’s first keynote speaker, General Tamhra Hutchins-Frye. General Hutchins-Frye has the distinction of being the first female brigadier general of Arkansas Air National Guard.

Zac McCool, Advisory Board member stated, “NWA TechFest is immensely fortunate to have the caliber people such as General Hutchins-Frye and Colonel Doorenbos involved in this event. Attendees will gain so much from their combined experience.”

General Hutchins-Frye joined the Arkansas Air National Guard in 1984 and has her sights set on being a 2-star general before she retires. To-date she has served one tour in Afghanistan and has been awarded the Legion of Merit and a Bronze Star. Devoted to her community, Hutchins-Frye has also served as Co-Chair of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas’s Girls of Promise, an organization that supports and encourages young girls to pursue their interest in STEM subjects.

Accompanying General Hutchins-Frye will be Colonel Bobbi Doorenbos, the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Wing Commander. The 188th Wing’s primary missions are intelligence, surveillance, targeting, and reconnaissance using remotely-controlled aircrafts called MQ-9 Reapers. Col. Doorenbos has many achievements including the Legion of Merit, Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Aerial Achievement Medal. In 2007, she completed a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the National Defense Intelligence College, Defense Intelligence Agency, at the Bolling, Maryland Air Force Base.

NWA TechFest is a technology conference that brings together the tech community to learn from and interact with one another, as well as promote gender diversity in STEM, economic development opportunities for corporations, and education programs for students and teachers.